Knit article and method of making the same.



R. W. SCOTT.

KNIT ARTICLE AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME.

Patented Aug. 4, 1914.

T 4 4 0 5 ZQiZ'nasSas UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT W. SCOTT, 015 BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO SCOTT & WILLIAMS, INCORPORATED, OF CAMDEN, NEVI JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSET'.

KNIT ARTICLE AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 4, 1914.

Application filed March 7, 1914. Serial No. 823,122.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ROBERT W. Soon, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Knit Articles and Methods of Making the Same, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to knit stockings and the method of making them.

One object is to produce an article a number of which can be made in a relatively complete state at a single continuous operation.

My invention therefore also relates to a string work or connected succession of such articles, and t0 the steps taken in producing said string work.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 is a side elevation having a broken area to show an internal construction of one form of the article; Fig. 2 is a similar view of a modification; Fig. 3 illustrates a completed stockin formed from the string work or blank illustrated in Fig, 1; Fig. 4 illustrt tes one form of the top portion only of a stocking knit in accordance with the string work or blank shown in Fig. 2; Fig. 5 illustrates in diagram on an enlarged scale the fabric structure lat the beginning and end of the portions" of my said-string work; Fig. 6 is a section illustrating one form of the outturned welt w.

My invention is particularly adapted to the production of stockings having a top T of plain fabric in the location and of the appearance of the ribbed tops in familiar use, and will be described in connection with operations which may be carried out on a circular knitting machine, although it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that the instrument of manufacture may be one of many types of machine, such for instance as an opposed bedstraight machine, or a flat bed machine making a product having longitudinal edges adapted to be sewn together.

According to my present invention, assuming a top T to have been knit as described below, the leg 1 may be formed, for instance by continuous circular knitting Fig. 5.

upon a closed circle of needles, by single or multiple course knitting; the heel 2 may then be formed by narrowing and widening upon a segment of said needles, the remainder being idle; the foot 3 may be formed by continuous circular knittingand the toe 4 may then be formed by a narrowing and widening operation such as that for the heel. The portion of the blank adapted for one garment isnow complete, and the next garment will begin after completion of the blank beyond the line :11, m, which may be any transverse line of an area 7 of any desired length of waste fabric forming a art of the top T at which the string-work is to be severed, or parted by a rupture of weak yarn, or by drawing out a hard, smooth yarn, in a manner familiar to knitters. After completing the toe 4, I form fabric for the top T of the next succeeding article including the fabric 7 in integral continua tion of the last course of the toe, as by throwing out of action recurrent needles distributed among the remainder, for instance alternate needles in the wales a as shown in Merely retiring into their carrier recurrent needles of the needles which have been advanced to clear their latches will usually be suflicient to perform this step.

If the string work is to be subjected to much strain, I may cause the suppressed wale a to be rendered fast against running back. A preferred construction for this purpose is that illustrated in Fig. 5, made by causing all of the needles for wales b, which are not suppressed, to retire into their carrier while withholding their loops, during knitting of a terminal course 1', in the wales a, which course, upon being cast off, will by the curl of the fabric be thrown forward between the needles for the wales 6 prior to knitting of course t for the top, thereby passing the terminal loops of the suppressed courses throu h the sinker wales between the wales b, where said terminal loopsare held by the friction of the fabric WhlCh they penetrate.

I prefer to substitute for the yarn at or prior to the initial course t of the fabric T a coarser heavier yarn or yarns, and if necessary, to adjust the length of loop at the same time. In the form of my article shown in Fig. 2, knitting for the top 'I now proceeds for a sufiioient length, for instance until the course .2 is reached, whereupon the needles for wales a which have been rendered idle or inoperative are restored to action. I may cause the needles for the wales a to take the yarn of the course 2 and again retire during one or more courses 2 to extend across and partly fill the eyelet holes h, it, formed by the reintroduction of the needles for the wales a. Preferably I continue the feeding of the heavy yarn untll after the introduction of the needles for the wales a, to give increased strength to the juncture between the fabric 'I and the fabric 1, and to aid in closing the eyelet holes h by the relative stifl'ness of the coarser yarn.

The operation is now repeated as described for the leg 1 of-another stocking.

In connection with knitting machines having independent latch needles, which are the preferred instruments of manufacture, the operation will include opening the latches of the needles for the wales a prior to knitting a course z.

The string work shown in Fig. 2 may be completed to any desired length and I may make individual articles or" stockings from it by severing it at the line w, m for each article and thereafter overseaming the top 'I, as shown at s in Fig. 1, or by other suitable end finish.

For a superior article of manufacture while retaining the described structure of the top 'I, I may provide each stocking in addition with an integral hem or welt 'w, as by following each toe portion 4: by a short section of waste fabric knit on all the needles, by then retiring recurrent needles for the wales b at each passage of theknitting cams into their carrier, while still holding their loops during production upon the remaining needles for the wales b of fabric for an outturned welt, for instance as disclosed in my U. S. Patent No. 1,045,620, dated November 26, 1912, and No. 1,07 9,267, dated November 18, 1913. In the case of the structure of the later patent the Waste fabric will occupy the same relative position as the selvaged strip a disclosed in said patent, the welt to being confined to substantially such a proportion as illustrated in the present drawings, to serve as an end finish only for the top fabric I. Or'I may knit a section 7, after having retired the needles for the wales a, as described above in connection with Fig. 2, and then knit the welt upon some only of the remaining needles, as described in my Patent No. 1,071,100 dated August 26, 1918; or I may in some cases form a short, bunchy welt structure by continuing to knit upon some of, the needles while the others are projected to accumulate the yarn upon their faces or in their icense hooks as described, but not claimed, in the said Patent No. 1,045,620, and claimed in my application Serial No. 7 08,937 filed July 10, 1912. I prefer, however, as shown in Figs. 1, 3 and 6 to knit fabric for the welt to having as many wales as the top I at the line 8 of the top, using those needles, as for the wales a, which are not employed for the knitting of the wales b of the fabric for the top 'I, and fastening off the welt by a uniting course knit upon all of the needles, followed if desired by a locking course a/ in the wales suppressed for the remainder of top 'I substantially as described and claimed in my application Serial No. 823,121 of even date herewith.

I Having completed the welt, at the relative location 8 in Fig. 1, top I is completed as described in connection with the article shown in Fig. 2.

The leg 1, the heel 2, the foot 3, and the toe 4:, in stockings formed in accordance with my invention may comprise changes of yarn, reinforced areas, and other structures, known in the prior art, without departure from my invention.

Whatever the construction of the welt or end-finish, it will be understood that the fabric section 7 is waste fabric, which, if desired, may be knit of an inferior yarn, or be knit loosely to be cut through, and that the stocking shown will be completed by raveling away such fabric 7 as adheres to the toe, or the juncture of the welt and the leg. The stocking shown in Fig. 6 requires no further finishing except sewing the seam at the topof the toe.

What I claim is:

1. A string-work of plain fabric articles such as stockings comprising a continuous connected succession of article blanks and top portions of plain fabric provided with integral welts.

2. A string-work of knit fabric comprising leg and foot portions having thereina certain number of needle Wales and top sections having therein a less number of needle wales contmuous with recurrent wales of said leg and foot portions.

3. A string--Workof knit fabric comprising leg and foot portions having therein a certain number of needle wales, top sections having therein fewer needle wales continuous with recurrent wales of said leg and foot portions, said top sections being formed of heavier yarn than the adjacent fabric.

4. A string-work of knit fabric comprising leg and foot portions having therein a certain number of needle wales, top sections having therein fewer needle Wales continuous with recurrent wales of said leg and foot portions, said top sections being formed of heavier yarn than the adjacent fabric, said heavier yarn extending beyond said top section into the adjacent fabric.

5. A string-work of knit fabric comprising leg and foot portions having therein a certain number of needle wales, top sections having therein fewer needle wales continuous with recurrent wales of said leg and foot portions, said top section including a portion adapted to be parted to sever the string- -work into article blanks, each including a leg and foot and top portions.

6. A string-work of knit fabric comprising leg and foot portions having therein a certain number of needle wales, top sections having therein fewer needle wales continuous with recurrent wales of said leg and foot portions, each top section being provided with an integral welt..

7. A string-work of plain fabric articles such as stockings comprising a continuous connected succession of article blanks and top portions of plain fabric provided with outturned welts, the fabric followin each top portion having an increased num ber of wales. I

8. A string-work of plain fabric articles such as stockings comprising a continuous connected succession of article blanks and top portions of plain fabric provided with outturned Welts, the fabric following each top portion having an increased number of wales, added wales having an initial loop engaging a course previous" to the last course of the top portion.

9. The art herein described of knitting a continuous succession of seamless stockings consisting of forming in the usual manner leg, heel, foot and toe portions, in then ceasing to knit in and dropping the last stitches of certain wal'es distributed about the fabric; in then knitting the top of another stocking in continuation of the remaining wales; in thereafter resuming knitting in the dropped wales and repeating said operations in the same order.

10. The art of knitting seamless stockings comprising repeatedly first knitting leg, foot, heel and toe portions in the usual man ner, in thereafter knitting in integral continuation of the toe. a top section of fabric, said section having therein an integral outturned welt; in thereafter knittin in continuation of said top section the leg, heel, foot and toe of another stocking, and in thereafter severing the product between the toe and the welt of the adjacent stockings.

11. The art of knitting seamless stockings comprising repeatedly first knitting leg, foot, heel and toe portions in the usual manner, in thereafter knitting in integral continuation of the toe a top section of fabric having a reduced number of needle wales, said section having therein an integral outturned welt having the same number of wales; in the knitting in continuation of said top section of the leg, heel, foot and toe of another stocking, and

in thereafter severing the product between the toe and the welt of the adjacent stockings.

12. The art herein described of knitting a continuous succession of seamless stockings consisting of forming in the usual manner leg, heel, foot and toe portions, changing the yarn to a heavier yarn and ceasing to knit in and dropping the last stitches of certain wales distributed among the other wales about the fabric; in then knitting the top for another stocking in continuation of the wales not dropped; in then resuming knitting in the dropped wales, in thereafter exchanging the heavy yarn for a lighter yarn and repeating the operations for the leg, heel, foot and toe of another stocking.

13. The art herein described of knitting in continuous succession seamless stockings consisting in forming on a continuous series of needles in the usual manner leg, heel, foot and toe portions, in then ceasing to knit in certain recurrent wales while retaining the stitches of said wales upon their needles during knitting upon the intervening needles; thereafter knitting fabric for a top in continuation of said recurrent wales only; and thereafter resuming knitting in all of the wales and repeating the operations for the formation of another stocking.

14. The art herein described of knitting a continuous succession of stockings consistin of forming in the usual manner leg, heel, cot and toe portions, in then ceasing to knit and dropping the last stitches in certain wales distributed about the fabric; and then knitting the top of another stocking in continuation of the remaining wales; in thereafter resuming knitting in the dropped wales and forming the leg of said other stocking; thereafter repeating said' operations, and thereafter severing the string work so formed near the juncture of the toe and top portions.

15. The mode herein described of knitting seamless stockings on a series of needles in continuous formation, said mode consisting in knitting the leg, heel, foot and toe portions in the usual manner, and after the completion of the toe throwing a portion of the needles out of action, casting the stitches from said retired needles, and knitting the top of the stocking on the remainder of the needles; then returning to action the needles previously thrown out of action, and then knittin the leg, heel, foot and toe portions of anot er stockin ,and thereafter repeating the operations or a continuous string formation of said stockings.

16. The mode herein described of knitting seamless stockings in continuous formation, said mode consisting in knitting the leg, heel, foot and toe portions in the usual manner and after the completion of the toe changing the yarn for a heavier yarn,throwing a portion of the needles out of action,

casting the stitches from said retired needles knitting the top of the stocking on the remainder of the needles, then returning to action and opening the latches of the needles 5 previously thrown out of action, and then repeating the said operations in the same order for another and following stockings.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

RQBERT W. SCOTT.

-Witnesses:

MARY F. GRIFFIN, l/V. J. HAGERTY. 

